Brassiere frame



May 8, 1962 E.WALTERS 3,033,205

I BRASSIERE FRAME Filed Dec. 20, 1960 INVENTOR ZEZA H 6 \/A4 TE'QS BY m flag/yawn ATTORNEYS Unite States Patent 3,033,205 BRASSIERE FRAME Lelah Eileen Walters, 1237 E. Prairie Ave., Decatur, Ill. Filed Dec. 20, 1960, Ser. No. 77,139 7 Claims. (Cl. 128469) This invention relates to brassieres, and has particular reference to a new and improved frame for brassieres of the so-called strapless type.

Brassieres of the strapless type have considerable appeal to Women, particularly in instances when it 15 desired to wear dresses having exposed shoulder areas in the regions where conventional supporting straps would normally pass. The absence of such shoulder straps in strapless brassieres, however, raise well-known problems in providing adequate and reliable support for a woman, without sacrificing comfort.

In this regard, while numerous prior art strapless brassiere frames have been provided in an effort to securely support the wearer, without unduly sacrificing comfort, such structures have only met with varying degrees of success.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a new and improved frame for a strapless brassiere which is extremely simple and inexpensive'in construction, the frame providing reliable support for the breasts of a woman, without sacrificing the necessary feature of comfort, when worn for extended periods of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide a frame for a strapless brassiere having otherwise conventional cloth construction, or the like, which provides support along the upper edge of the brassiere cups.

A further object of this invention is to provide a strapless brassiere frame having a new and improved supporting means at the outer end thereof.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a frame for a strapless brassiere of coated metal construction, which includes downwardly curved members which conform generally to the upper contour of a womans breasts, the inner ends thereof being joined by a down- Wardly extending, generally concave portion having legs extending therefrom, in an inverted V-shape, the outer ends thereof including generally I-shap-e supporting means.

These and other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a strapless brassiere frame according to this invention, and;

FIGURE 2 is a right side elevation of the frame in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the central portion of the frame in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along line 4--4 of FIG- URE 2.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing which shows strapless brassiere frame according to this invention.

The frame 10 includes symmetrical, downwardly curved members 12, 12', which conform to the shape of the upper region of a Womans breasts. The members 12, 12' are integrally joined at their inner ends by a downwardly extending central portion 14, which, in turn, has downwardly diverging leg portions 16, 16 (FIGURE 3) forming a generally inverted V-shape.

The central portion 14 has a generally concave outer surface, and a corresponding convex inner surface which thereby conforms to the contour of a woman.

According to an important feature of this invention, the members 12, 12 terminate near theirrespective outer ends with downwardly extending support members 18, 18', which, in turn, terminate at their respective lower ends in transverse pedestal members 20, 20'.

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In this regard, the curved members 12, 12 terminate in cantilevered portions 22, 22' which extend beyond the respective support members 18, 18, thereby providing a generally I-shaped supporting means for breasts of a woman.

As is apparent, suitable cups 24, 24' of conventional stitched cloth or the like, are secured at their respective upper ends to the curved members 12, 12 by conventional means. The strapless brassiere is completed by additional stitched fabric, as is Well-known to those skilled in the art.

Referring again to the frame 10, the structure is preferably of an integral, one-piece construction, as shown in FIGURE 4. The frame 10 is constructed of a metal base 26, having an exterior coating 28.

In this regard, the metal base is preferably a stamped plate, however suitably bent wire may be utilized, as is apparent. Such an arrangement provides for bending the supporting means as desired, to conform to the contour of the womans body, thereby providing a snug and comfortable fit.

While the coating 28 is preferably a synthetic plastic, the comfort of the frame 10 may be enhanced still further by providing a thin sponge rubber coating on the inner surface thereof, as will be apparent.

By providing a frame 10 as described, the need for back straps extending about the back of a woman may be obviated, as desired; thereby allowing a woman to wear a dress with an exposed back portion without exposing back-strap supporting means.

It will, therefore, be seen that there has been provided by this invention a structurein which the various objects hereinbefore set forth together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved.

As various possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of this invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted in an illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a strapless brassiere having two breast receiving cups, a frame including two downwardly curved members joined at their adjacent ends to support the breastreceiving cups, supporting means joined to the opposed outer ends of said members in spaced relationship with respect to the cups, each of said supporting means providing independent support for the adjacent curved member and a brassiere cup by yieldable engagement with a womans body at least to the sides thereof, said supporting means including a downwardly extending leg portion joined to each free end region of said curved members, a cantilevered portion extending from said curved member beyond said leg portion, and a pedestal member extending transversely from the lower end of said leg to thereby define a generally I-shaped supporting means, said frame being of integral one-piece n'gid but yieldable construction.

2. In a strapless brassiere having two breast receiving cups, a frame of integral one-piece rigid but yieldable construction including two downwardly curved members receiving the brassiere cups along their upper edges of the brassiere cups and having opposed outer free ends; supporting means joined to each opposed outer end of said members in spaced relationship to each cup, each of said supporting means extending in downwardly transverse relationship to the curved member and providing independent support by yieldable engagement to the side region of a womans body.

3. Structure defined in claim 2 wherein said curved members are joined at their inner ends by a downwardly extending curved central portion, said central portion including downwardly diverging contoured leg portions.

4. Structure defined in claim 2 wherein said frame is a metal plate, and a coating of plastic disposed on said plate.

5. Structure defined in claim 2 wherein each of said supporting means includes a downwardly extending leg portion.

6. Structure defined in claim 5 wherein said supporting means includes a cantilevered portion extending from said curved member beyond said leg portion.

7. Structure defined in claim 6 including a pedestal member extending from each leg portion at the lower end thereof, to define a generally I-shaped supporting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,549 Schwaiger Apr. 20, 1954 2,839,063 Davis et a1. June 17, 1958 2,912,983 Horn Nov. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,161,657 France Mar. 24, 1958 

